


The New Kid

by ms45



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-03 14:22:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/699199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ms45/pseuds/ms45
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kolyat Krios returns to mainstream education after his time with the priests on Kahje. Oriana offers to help bring him up to speed. A Bioware Valentines gift for Covenmouse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Kid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Covenmouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Covenmouse/gifts).



It felt strange to be going back to school on Illium so soon after the shootout with her biological father. Having classes in bombed-out buildings that changed from week to week because of safety concerns wasn’t weird any more (and how weird was _that?_ ), but going from adjusting to wartime living to being kidnapped and held by Cerberus to being freed with a bullet to the knee was enough of a whirlwind of excitement, even without the knee injury, which hurt like a bitch.

Still, it was nice in a way. Turning up to class and doing equations and lab and homework gave her continuity, and she clung to every boring multiple choice test and “read pages 54-68 answering the summary questions” as if it was a life raft. She watched vids, painted her nails, did her physio exercises, went for a drive in her new Elkoss Boro. Occasionally she'd hobble out with a bunch of schoolmates for drinks, but she found booze messed with her painkillers.

The knee injury had put a dampener on her militia service, but she still went to the shooting range. Taking out the Reaper troop vessels had bought Illium some time, but that wasn't going to last. Oriana's experience at Sanctuary strengthened her pistol arm, the memory of the contorted obscenities focusing her mind and her aim.

Miranda contacted her regularly, each time in new codes and with different addresses. How was the knee doing? Was she keeping her marks up? Was it true that Reaper vessels were regrouping just outside Illium's exosphere? Was she dating anyone?

Was she dating anyone? An interesting question, to which the answer was technically no. And if Randa had hated her previous crushes, she was going to go supernova for this one.

* * *

Miranda may have dedicated her life to ensuring human dominance, but Oriana didn't see the point. Growing up on multicultural Illium, she benefited directly from the marvels of asari technology, the reliability of volus banking services, the diversity of elcor cultural life. (And, invisibly, the unpaid labour of quarians, salarians and even vorcha.) Any time she liked, she could eat asari gumbo or salarian cricket fries, go see the latest Blasto flick, take in an elcor performance adapted to suit other cultures by manipulating the hormonal response.

Or she could set up a homework date with the drell kid who just turned up in Math 130.

“Homework.” Yes. Definitely.

The “how do I get him to notice me” part was delivered into Oriana's hands by providence. “Mr. Krios is joining us after a period of absence from the educational system,” said Mr Pirius, with significantly less snark than usual. “I'm assigning you a study partner to ensure you catch up.”

Oriana shot her hand up before Mr Pirius could point to anyone. “I could help? I'm doing pretty well, and it's not like I'm going out dancing every night.” There was a nervous giggle from the other students. She turned around to look at the drell. “Uh, if you want.”

The drell muttered “Thanks” and stared angrily at his books. Oriana hoped she hadn't offended him.

After class, she hobbled over to him and stuck her hand out. “You're Kolyat, right? I'm Oriana Lawson.”

Kolyat frowned again and paused for a millisecond longer than necessary before shaking her hand.

“Uh... yeah. So... where should we...”

“I can meet you after school if you like. My place is as safe as any.”

Kolyat sighed. “Thanks. I'll meet you at that hideous Turian statue, I guess.”

“It's not hideous!”

Shit. Had she really said that? But she really liked that statue – it was abstract and mathematical, not a part out of place. Kolyat stared at his boots, mumbled “See you at seventeen hundred. Uh... thanks,” and left quickly without looking back at her. She let him, not wanting him to feel obliged to help her walk.

* * *

By 1700 hours, she’d had time to do a little research.

“Hey! You know Commander Shepard!”

The drell’s expression was hard to read as he waved at her knee. “Did he give you that?”

Oriana quickly caught herself being surprised – of course he’d have heard. “Yeah. Saved my life, though, so I guess I can’t complain. And hey, sweet kit.” She wiggled her crutches, which were titanium and a deep, metallic purple.

“You’re cheerful about it.”

“You miss the part where he saved my life? C’mon, my car’s just over here.”

They walked silently, Kolyat slowing his pace to let her lead. It was a bit of a trek to her place, so she put some music on as soon as she got in and tried to walk a line between friendly chat and interrogation.

She was desperate to ask if he knew anything about Miranda, or if he could even tell her anything about his dad’s adventures on the Normandy, but her research said his dad died on the Citadel in the Cerberus attack, and picking that wound would be kind of shitty. (It was to Oriana’s credit that the consideration of cockblocking herself was secondary in her mind, albeit a very close second.)

“How come you’ve been away from school? Reapers?”

“Uh… yeah. War and shit.” He pulled a text book onto his lap and frowned into its pages.

“Did they test you when you came back? I mean, so I know where we should start.”

“I can count on my fingers,” he replied bitterly. She kept quiet after that, turning the music up and doing some stretches to rehabilitate the knee.

When they arrived at her place, Kolyat got out of the car and turned back to her. “I’m… sorry. I’ve been away for a really long time. I may be further behind than you think.”

Oriana swung her crutches out of the car. “Don’t defeat yourself before you’ve even started. I said I’d get you up to speed. Uh, little help?” She put her hand out and he took it, his skin cool and scaly. She made sure to drop it as soon as she had her balance, although she couldn’t rightly say why it took her so long to fit back into her crutches.

  
  


  
  



End file.
